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Monday, April 21, 2014

Recipe: Roasted Baby Artichokes

I am very lucky to live in a place that has so much agriculture. On the train ride to work I can see fields of all sorts of vegetables. One of the cheapest things here are artichokes. At the vegetable stand I go to you can get a kilo for just over 1 euro! So, usually about once a week here we have artichokes in some form.

Last time I was at the stand, I tried to pick out the smallest artichokes I could find because I wanted to try roasting them which is something new for me. Now, it is officially my favorite way! Paired with a homemade hollandaise or alioli it is a great side dish.

Just out of the oven! I couldn't wait to try one, they smelled so good!

Directions:1. Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit or about 200 Celsius. 2. Fill a large bowl with water and the lemon juice and set aside. While you are preparing the artichokes, put them in this bowl so they don’t turn brown. 3. Cut the stem leaving about 1/4 inch to the base of the artichoke. 4. Take off the outer, harder leaves. stop once the leaves become thin and easily bendable.5. With a vegetable peeler, peel what is left of the stem and any remaining pieces of the leaves that you removed. 6. Cut the tops of the artichokes off. Even though these are the soft leaves, they still have a pointy tip that you do not want to eat. 7. Cut the artichokes in half.8. drain the water, and pat dry the artichokes. 9. mince the garlic and the rosemary together and add it to a large bowl with the olive oil.10. Toss the artichokes together with the garlic, rosemary, olive oil and red pepper flakes if you are using them.11. Put the artichokes on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, making sure they are not touching. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of the artichokes. 12. Cook for 20 minutes or until the artichokes are golden brown and the leaves have started to separate from each other.